El Alto Air Base (John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport)

El Alto International Airport is located 13 kilometers west of La Paz in the city of El Alto. Aviation activities at the site began in 1916 with the establishment of the Military School of Aviation. Although local government planning for an airport commenced in 1929, the facility was officially inaugurated in the 1960s, with a new terminal completed in 1965. The airport underwent reconstruction and facility enlargement in 1974. Historically designated as John F. Kennedy Airport, it was renamed El Alto International Airport in 1999. In 2006, the terminal was expanded to include modernized baggage claim, check-in, and air bridge facilities.

Management of the facility is conducted by the government agency Navegación Aérea y Aeropuertos Bolivianos (NAABOL), which replaced the previous operator, Servicios Aeroportuarios Bolivianos S.A. (SABSA), in March 2022. The airport is a focus city for the state airline Boliviana de Aviación and previously served as the hub for Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano. Military units operating from the base include the Bolivian Air Force and its transport arm, Transporte Aéreo Militar.

Infrastructure consists of two parallel runways, one with a concrete surface and one with a grass surface. The facility is equipped with VOR/DME, DVOR/DME, and ILS CAT I navigation and approach systems. Due to the atmospheric conditions of its high-altitude location, the airport is used as a site for high-altitude flight testing by manufacturers such as Airbus, Boeing, and Bombardier. Aircraft types that have undergone certification testing at the facility include the Airbus A350 XWB, Airbus A330neo, and Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The base also hosts military transport aircraft including the C-130 Hercules.